Ward & Kennedy supplies businesses nationwide with traditionally die-cut and high-precision digitally cut urethane. From wear pads to tooling molds and everything in between, you can trust Ward & Kennedy’s nearly 100-year history for fast turnaround times and dedicated service and support.
Urethane is a durable elastomeric material valued for its abrasion resistance, load-bearing strength, and ability to be formed in a wide range of hardness levels. It's used across industrial, automotive, and material handling applications, particularly where a material needs to withstand repeated wear, impact, or friction.
Common products made from urethane include:
Urethane's hardness, abrasion resistance, and thickness directly affect how it performs during cutting, from blade selection to tool wear.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Ranges from soft and rubber-like to hard and rigid, requiring different blades or tools depending on grade |
| Abrasion resistance | High resistance to wear can dull cutting blades faster than softer materials |
| Thickness | Thicker urethane sheets or pads require more cutting force and sharper dies for clean edges |
| Elasticity | Stretch can distort shapes during cutting if the material isn't held flat and stable |
| Density | Affects how much pressure is needed to cut through without dragging or tearing |
| Rebound | Determines how well cut pieces hold their final shape after the blade passes through |
slices completely through the material, and both digital cutters and traditional dies can perform it depending on thickness and volume.
Perforation creates a line of small cuts for easy hand separation, achievable by both die cutting and digital cutting.
Digital cutting works well for prototyping urethane products and producing custom shapes, such as new wear pad designs or gasket prototypes, since patterns can be tested and adjusted without any tooling cost.
For production runs, die cutting is the standard approach for repeated shapes like gaskets, seals, and wear pads cut from urethane sheet stock. The upfront tooling cost is offset by faster cutting speeds and lower per-unit costs once the design is finalized and moving into full production.
At our facility in Milwaukee, WI, our team of designers and fabricators can help bring your vision to life. Whether you have existing design files or assistance with their creation, we’re here every step of the way.
Along with fabrics, we die cut materials like:
Ward & Kennedy has been designing, fabricating, and supplying industries all over the world since we were founded in 1928. Whether you’re in our Wisconsin backyard or located across the world in Asia, we can supply your die cut materials.
Along with fabricating parts for businesses across America, we supply them with the necessary tools, supplies, and gear to keep them running at full capacity. We stock abrasives, adhesives, PPE, and more from major brands like 3M, Dynablade, Superior Glove, Wendt and Mirka.
